Xu Xian shattered the Sky Gate and rode his sword through the high heavens, weaving through the curtain of fire.
Behind him, the Sky Gate continued to collapse and fall, while the spirit tide on the ground surged relentlessly.
On the earth below,
The fleeing saints realized Xu Xian's intention as they watched him destroy the path they had come from.
He had shattered the gate and cut off the way back to prevent the spirit tide from surging back into the mortal realm.
Even though Xu Xian had essentially placed them in a desperate situation, it was difficult for them not to feel a sense of profound respect for his actions at this moment.
Still, their tongues remained sharp, and their curses continued unabated.
"Damn it! If he wants to be a saint, fine, but he shouldn't drag me into it!"
"Does he have to be such a troublemaker? You'll be the death of us all sooner or later, Xu Xian!"
"The Wendao Sword Sect, from top to bottom, they're all nothing but self-righteous prigs..."
...
As Xu Xian flew down on his sword, he passed a mountain range. Glancing to the side, he saw a bright red bridal gown hanging alone in the wind.
Looking closer, he realized it was a woman.
The woman's clothes were as red as blood, and her eyes were a deep, crimson red. Her exposed skin was a dull, ashen grey, blending perfectly with the desolate world around her.
The woman was also looking at him.
That brief moment of eye contact felt eerily sinister.
She looked like a desiccated corpse, or perhaps a statue sculpted from clay. The combination of her vivid red bridal gown and her blood-red eyes, which seemed to brim with tears, made Xu Xian's skin crawl.
Xu Xian knew for certain that this person was incredibly strong.
She shared the same origin as the spirit tide surging toward this place.
She had the same skin and the same blood-red eyes, yet she was different. As for where the difference lay, Xu Xian couldn't quite put his finger on it at the moment.
Was she beautiful?
More human-like?
It was more than that.
His gaze instinctively fell upon the sword in the woman's hand.
A powerful expert and a fine sword.
But for now, he didn't have the luxury of investigating her origins. They had already been targeted and surrounded by the dark creatures of this realm.
He had to fight his way out; he couldn't afford a moment's delay.
He withdrew his gaze and streaked through the sky, as hurried as the fragments of the Sky Gate falling around him.
The woman in the bridal gown remained motionless, but from the moment the youth appeared, her gaze never left him for even a second.
She smelled the scent of an old friend on him.
Her throat moved slightly, and her lips, which had long since been stuck together, parted. With great effort, she spoke in a hoarse, raspy whisper that only she could hear.
"Finally... I've waited for you..."
"Sword... Bearer!"
Meanwhile, during his descent, Xu Xian did not forget to use his Pupil of Insight to observe the current situation.
The experts who had initially scattered to break out in different directions had been forced back before they even encountered the Dark Spirit Tide. They were now congregating toward the center again. However, in the southeast, four figures were actually moving against the tide.
Though there were only four of them, they were like a hot knife through butter, easily crushing the massive army before them.
He couldn't see their faces clearly, but he recognized their auras.
"Master, it's the Emperor and his three dogs. They aren't with these guys; they're actually fighting them..."
The little book spirit did not forget to chime in.
This was considered good news.
If the Twilight Emperor was not on the same side as these creatures, Xu Xian would have one less powerful enemy, and his chances of survival would increase.
Xu Xian didn't say anything because he had seen them as well.
Furthermore, those four were exceptionally strong.
The Twilight Emperor, in particular, had already recovered a significant portion of his cultivation.
Dealing with these unknown creatures was as simple as slicing through vegetables for them.
His mind worked at high speed, analyzing the current situation.
The spirit tide was coming from all directions, seemingly endless, making it impossible to tell where the path to safety lay.
Deciding which direction to break through was giving him a headache.
At the very least, he knew he couldn't go west.
The Twilight Emperor was there. Charging in that direction would be seeking his own death.
So, where should they run?
Where was the glimmer of hope?
He continued to ponder, finding it difficult to make a choice.
Just then, he landed on a raised, barren hill in the middle of the spirit tide. Several figures immediately rushed toward him.
Lu Yuan,
Tu Sisi,
Jin Qing,
Jin Yu,
Chi Ming...
And three demon dragons whose sizes had shrunk by more than half.
They surrounded Xu Xian, their expressions panicked and alert.
"Young Lord!"
"Xu Xian."
"Roar..."
Xu Xian did not respond. His perspective remained synchronized with the Little Book in the sky as he searched for weaknesses in the Dark Spirit Tide.
Tu Sisi couldn't help but ask, "What exactly is going on? What kind of monsters are those things?"
Everyone else's gaze gathered on Xu Xian.
What Tu Sisi asked was exactly what they all wanted to know.
Why did the Heavens look like this?
What were those grey, bizarrely shaped things?
Were they humans, demons, monsters, or ghosts? Which race did they belong to?
Xu Xian divided his attention and replied casually, "As you can see, the celestial realm is desolate, and monsters run rampant..."
Lu Yuan frowned deeply, his ribbons fluttering in the wind. He pressed a hand to his forehead and said in a heavy voice, "I clearly remember it wasn't like this. How could it have become so terrible..."
Xu Xian said, "I told you before, the world changes. The Cangming is no longer in the Era of Ancient Immortals. It has gone through the Dark Turmoil and entered the Dark Era. These monsters you see are dark creatures. Of course, you can also call them Death Spirits."
Death Spirits.
This wasn't something Xu Xian had made up; the Little Book had told him.
Death Spirits were creations of the Spirit-Devouring Tribe, products of the darkness.
In life, they might have been humans, demons, monsters, or even members of the celestial, god, or spirit races.
After the darkness descended, their lives and essence blood were stolen by the Spirit-Devouring Tribe, and they lost their will.
They became these immortal, undying living dead.
To put it simply, they were similar to zombies.
However, they were stronger and cleaner than zombies.
Because they were transformed from deceased beings, they were named Death Spirits.
They were also the lowest-ranking and lowest-tier beings among the dark creatures of the Spirit-Devouring Tribe.
They were the commoners and foot soldiers. Their strength in life was generally below the immortal level, and their realm remained the same after becoming Death Spirits.
Although the individual strength of a Death Spirit was average, they made up for it in overwhelming numbers.
Moreover, they had no consciousness, no emotions, and no sense of fear. They were born fearless.
They possessed an extreme craving for living souls.
Once they discovered one, they would do everything in their power to kill and assimilate it.
It was near madness!
Worse yet, these things were incredibly difficult to kill. Even if only a single leg remained, they could reconstruct themselves in a very short time.
They were troublesome to the extreme!
However, a tide of Death Spirits of this scale was certainly no coincidence. Xu Xian guessed that there must be a higher-ranking powerhouse of the Spirit-Devouring Tribe controlling them from behind.
Perhaps they were hiding in the distance, or perhaps they were concealed within the tide itself.
If that were the case, escaping would be even more difficult.
Hearing Xu Xian's explanation, the others felt their heads spinning even more. Era of Ancient Immortals, Dark Turmoil, Death Spirits—these were all things they had never heard of.
And what did Lu Yuan mean when he said it wasn't supposed to be like this?
They didn't understand.
They softly murmured the words "Death Spirits."
Jin Yu whispered a complaint, "The name alone sounds unlucky."
Jin Qing kept her thoughts clear and asked directly, "What do we do next?"
Xu Xian replied, "Fight our way out."
It was a redundant answer...
Jin Qing asked, "How?"
This was equally redundant...
Just as Xu Xian was struggling to make a choice, the Little Book suddenly shouted, "Master, look! Quick, look over there!"
Xu Xian was startled. He instinctively turned his head and, through his Pupil of Insight, saw her again—the figure in the bright red bridal gown.
She stood atop a new mountain peak, watching Xu Xian's group from a distance. Her left hand was raised, pointing directly to the east.
She seemed to be guiding them.
Xu Xian dithered, his expression deepening.
Who was she?
What did she want?
Could she be trusted?
"Master, what's the plan?"
Xu Xian's gaze involuntarily shifted toward the Emperor's group of four to the west.
It was the exact opposite direction.
Was the path the Twilight Emperor took wrong, or...
After a brief mental struggle, Xu Xian gritted his teeth and made a decision.
"Head east!"
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